Africa unveiled a continental cholera emergency plan Tuesday, covering September 2025 to February 2026, aiming to curb deadly outbreaks. The Africa CDC and WHO model seeks rapid domestic resource mobilisation to fund vaccines, medicines, and case management supplies across the continent.
Officials said the initiative could reduce cholera deaths by 90% and eradicate the disease in at least 20 African nations by 2030. The plan was launched at Lusaka’s Mulungushi International Conference Centre during a health partnerships forum and the Gavi Leap side event.
Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema, AU global cholera champion, called eradication a moral duty, an economic catalyst, and a step toward Agenda 2063. “To succeed, we must act today for a better tomorrow, building a self-reliant Africa that produces its own vaccines,” Hichilema declared.
The urgency is underscored by 2025’s alarming cholera toll: 213,586 cases and 4,507 deaths across 23 AU member states, Africa CDC reported. Africa CDC Director General Jean Kaseya said these figures demand immediate, coordinated action to prevent further devastation on the continent.
WHO Africa Director Mohamed Janabi described the plan as a strategic and technical blueprint reflecting AU member states’ unified commitment to eliminate cholera. He emphasised the roadmap embodies a direct response to a call for urgent, continent-wide measures to confront cholera as a public health threat.
